Tuesday, March 8, 2011

10 random reasons I am a feminist

Today, being the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day, is a good time to introspect and think about why I am a feminist. I don't know whether I should be happy or sad about this - it was really easy to come up with 10 reasons for why I am, and should be, a feminist.

For those who are exasperated with my feminism, in short - I am a feminist because I believe men and women should have equal rights, because I am angry at the everyday discrimination women face all over the world and because I want to rescue feminism from what it has been made out to be by anti-feminists.
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1. Every time I walk on the streets alone after dark, I walk in fear of being raped.

2. Whenever I go in to get technical help, I have to stop geeks from treating me like a dunce by clarifying that being a woman does not automatically mean I am technologically challenged.

3. For most men (at least those involved in media production), a typical woman is one who PMSes, hatches plots to get her boyfriend back from other women and is, more generally, a low IQ human being - apolitical and glossy.

4. Sexual harassment is euphemistically called 'eve teasing' in India.

5. I am still the 'bad one' in the relationship if I refuse to take on more than my fair share of housework.

6. People appear surprised when it comes to their knowledge that I, a 'self-proclaimed' feminist can cook, clean and keep a house!

7. I am considered to be a 'kill-joy' if I refuse to laugh at everyday sexist jokes.

8. It's still considered absolutely normal and not at all wrong that I may, at some point in life, lose my job as a consequence of getting pregnant.

9. I am angry that more than 100 million women are missing from this world.

10. I still happen to know a lot of people who flinch every time I use the 'F' word, it's just so much fun to make people flinch!